Comment Escalates Agencies' Feud

Remark About Nazi Draws Outrage

Crra And Mdc

May 13, 2009|By JOSH KOVNER, jkovner@courant.com

When a commission member of the regional trash agency invoked the name of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels during a recent discussion of an ongoing dispute with the regional water authority, water officials were furious.

The reference by Theodore Martland to Goebbels' "Big Lie" theory has intensified a long-running feud between two large ratepayer-supported utilities - the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority and the Metropolitan District Commission.

The MDC has demanded an apology.

But Martland, the former superintendent of schools in Region 14, says he has no intention of apologizing for what he said was a historical reference in response to "misrepresentations" by an MDC union leader. The two sides are dug in over an issue that involves millions of dollars in employee benefits for about 100 MDC workers.

Martland, 78, who is also a former deputy school superintendent in Waterbury, can be heard on a tape of a CRRA meeting in April saying, "I'm going to reveal my age here. There was a guy named Goebbels. He repeated a lie, repeated a lie, until people believed it."

At a May 4 meeting of the MDC board, agency attorney R. Bart Halloran replayed the portion of the CRRA discussion that included Martland's remark. After hearing the tape, some water commissioners said they were outraged.

"The statement crossed the line," said member Adam Cloud of Hartford.

CRRA spokesman Paul Nonnenmacher said Tuesday that the reference may have been "unfortunate," uttered "in the heat of an animated discussion."

Martland called a Courant reporter on Tuesday and said he was anxious to talk about his comment.

"It was simply a reference to the propaganda tactic," said Martland, adding that he wasn't imparting any of Goebbels' traits to any individual at the MDC.

The dust-up has its origins in a 23-year-old contract under which the MDC operates the garbage-shredding part of the CRRA's garbage-to-energy plant in Hartford's South Meadows.

The contract is up in 2011. The CRRA has the discretion to extend the pact up to another 20 years or to let it expire. Nonnenmacher said the agency intends to let the contract run out and then solicit bids from other operators to try to get a better price.

The MDC, which is paid $18 million a year for the service, says it's giving the CRRA the best price. But should the CRRA not renew the contract for even just a few years, the MDC argues that the trash agency would still be responsible for paying into pension, health, workers compensation and other accounts for the MDC crews that run the shredding operation. The MDC estimates the "contract termination cost" would be $33 million.

The CRRA denies that it would be responsible for the payments and maintains that when the contract is up, its obligation ends.

Halloran said that if the CRRA contract is allowed to expire, the 100 MDC workers could "bump" less-senior workers out of their jobs, including minority employees hired over the last five years.

Online Extra: Listen to part of the April CRRA meeting at courant.com/martland